In The Crease

The latest strategy of Bob Goodenow, the head of the NHLPlayers' Association, is to make copies of all sound bites andnewspaper clippings in which league executives talk about thestrong financial state of the NHL. The players' association thendistributes these to agents, who use them when negotiatingdeals. General managers, who have been telling agents thatbudgets are tight and that there isn't that much money availablefor player contracts, will be in for a long summer....

Some things you should know following the Senators' shockingsweep by the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs: First,Ottawa lacks leadership. The Senators didn't re-sign formercaptain Randy Cunneyworth after last season and gave theleadership role to star center Alexei Yashin, who didn't handleit well. Yashin not only failed to score a point against Buffalobut also took some foolish penalties. Second, look for Ottawa,which rotated competent goaltenders Damian Rhodes and RonTugnutt this season, to seek a bona fide No. 1 netminder in theoff-season. Third, with 12 Senators becoming free agents thissummer, expect a big personnel shake-up....

One Ottawa player who did perform up to his potential wasforward Shawn McEachern. He showed grit and speed throughout theseries against the Sabres despite playing with a torn abdominalmuscle. He will undergo surgery this week to repair the injury,which began plaguing him at midseason....

The NHL is losing a key behind-the-scenes administrator in GarryLovegrove, the league's managing director of central registry,who's quitting after the entry draft in June. Lovegrove, who hasbeen with the NHL for 33 years, knows the ins and outs ofwaivers and league bylaws better than anybody. With threeexpansion clubs entering the NHL in the next two years, itwouldn't be surprising to see him end up in a team front office.